THE ADMOSPHERE OF THE MOON

On the Moon, there is a very thin layer of gases in the lunar area that can almost be called the
technically exosphere atmosphere, the gases are very dispersed. In the exosphere we can find
around 100 molecules per cubic centimeter, if we compare it with the Earth's atmosphere at sea
level it would have about 100 billion million molecules per cubic centimeter. The total mass of
these lunar gases is about 55,000 pounds (25,000 kilograms).

Various elements have been detected in the lunar exosphere. Detectors left behind by Apollo
astronauts have detected argon-40, helium-4, oxygen, methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide,
and carbon dioxide. Ground spectrometers detected sodium and potassium, while the Lunar
Prospector orbiter found radioactive isotopes of radon and polonium. Over the years, water
molecules less than a micrometer thick were discovered on the lunar surface. In 2012, the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter detected helium.

Another problem on the moon is lunar regolith, which floats in the atmosphere and is very
abrasive. Lunar scientist Denis Richard of NASA. Ames Research Laboratory, he told
Space.com. "Imagine if dust comes in contact with space equipment, it can wear down your
equipment because it is abrasive." Apollo astronauts described lunar dust as gritty, abrasive,
and sticky. It can wreak havoc on computers and computers. The Moonwalkers were covered
with it, and their spacesuits were almost threadbare when they returned to Earth.

Atmosphere of the Moon | Space

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first and only interplanetary spacecraft. It was launched towards the
Moon on October 22, 2008 and entered orbit on November 8 of the same year. Along with its
ten scientific instruments, it carried a lunar impact probe (MIP), which was launched on
November 18, 2008 at an altitude of 100 kilometers from a position on the near equatorial side.
During its 25-minute descent, the lunar impact probe collected data with three instruments: a
radar altimeter, a visible imaging camera, and the Chandra Altitudinal Composition Explorer
(CHACE), a mass spectrometer. CHACE collected a total of 650 mass spectra during the 45
minutes it was in operation.

There is clear evidence for the presence of a substance with a mass of 18 atomic mass units,
which is assumed to be water, in each CHACE spectrum. As the lunar impact probe descended
and flew south, CHACE saw the amount of the 18 atomic mass unit increase. However, at about
70 degrees south latitude, the abundance leveled off and actually decreased steadily until the
lunar impact probe hit the lunar surface at about 85 degrees south. Latitudinal variation in the
measurement of amu-18 by CHACE

The relative concentration of water ice detected by M3 representing the constant increase in
concentration as one moves towards the poles. When considering the latitude of 43.1 degrees
south as the reference beyond which the Moon Mineralogy Mapper M3 of Chandrayaan-1, had
begun to detect water ice, the relative variation of H2O seen by CHACE is also represented
highlighting the nature complementary to the CHACE and M3 measurements. ., et al.

Water on the Moon: Direct evidence from… | The Planetary Society

Temperatures in some of the craters vary from 2 km to 15 km (one to nine miles) in diameter,
which are permanently obscured and can drop down to 25 Kelvin (-248C; -415F), colder than
the surface of Pluto, which that allows the water ice to remain stable. "It's mostly pure ice
water," Dr. Spudis said. "It could be under a few tens of centimeters of dry regolith (lunar soil)."
This protective layer of soil could prevent blocks of pure ice from vaporizing even in some areas
that are exposed to sunlight, he explained.

VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is a lunar rover developed by NASA,
and is currently planned to be launched to the surface of the Moon in 2023. The rover will be
tasked with studying lunar resources in permanently shaded areas in the pole region. lunar
south, especially by mapping the distribution and concentration of lunar ice. The mission builds
on a previous NASA rover concept called Resource Prospector, which was canceled in 2018.

The rover will carry the following instruments:

• Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS): This instrument will measure the water present in the
ground, up to 3 feet below the surface.

• The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains (TRIDENT): If NSS finds a promising
concentration of hydrogen underground, potentially water ice, the rover will deploy its 1 meter
drill. The drill will dig the ground